The Iranian Art of Painting

 Paintings discovered by W. Semner, on the walls of buildings, in Mallyan heights, in Fars, belong to 5,000 years ago. Paintings discovered on earthenware in Lorestan, Sialk and other archaeological sites, prove that the artists of this region were familiar with the art of painting.

From the Parthian era, few mural paintings, most of them discovered in the northern parts of Euphrates river, have been uncovered. One of these paintings is a display of a hunting scene. The position of riders and animals, and the style in this work reminds us of the Iranian miniatures. But in the paintings of Achaemenids era, profile work was preferred by the artists. The proportion and beauty of colors of this era, are remarkable. The colors are shadeless, and have the same tune. In some cases, black stripes limited the colorful surfaces.

Mani, the Iranian painter, who lived about the 3rd century, was a skilled and expert painter. His paintings were thought to be part of his miracles. The paintings of Torfan, discovered in the desert of Gall, a region situated in the Turkestan province in China, belong to 840 to 860 AD. These mural paintings exhibit Iranian scenes and portraits. Imagines of tree branches also exist in these paintings.

The most ancient paintings of the Islamic periodic, are quiet scare, and were created in the first half of the 13th century. Iranian miniatures (fine and small drawings) came to Fife after the fall of Baghdad (1285 AD). Since the beginning of the 14th century, handwritten books were adorned by the scenes from battle fields, feasts and hunting. China, perhaps since the 7th century, as an artistic center, has been the most important incentive for the art of painting in Iran. Ever since, a relation has been established between Buddhist Chinese painters and, Iranian artists. From the historic viewpoint, the most important evolution in Iranian art, has been the adoption of Chinese designs and coloring which were mixed with the specific conception of Iranian artists. The extreme beauty and skill of Iranian paintings are laid to describe.

In the first centuries, after the emergence of Islam, Iranian artists began adorning books. The preface and the margins of books were adorned with. These designs were passed on, through on to the next centuries, together with precise principles and rules, which is known as the "Art of Illumination". The art of illumination and adoring books made its path of progression under the Saljouk era, Mogol and Timourid's reigns.

Paintings from the beginning of the Islamic period had the reputation of belonging to Baghdad school. Miniatures of Baghdad School, have totally lost the style and methods of the usual paintings of the pre-Islamic period. These primitive and innovative paintings do not possess the necessary artistic stress. The miniatures of Baghdad school are not proportional. Portraits show the Semitic race and light colors are used.

to be continued ...

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